We're definitely believers in integrating coffee as a part of a healthy lifestyle, no matter how you drink it: iced, filter brewed, or enjoyed as a part of a caffeine microdosing routine.

According to studies, regular coffee consumption can have many benefits, including correlations with lower body fat in women and increased fat burning potential, helping fight type 2 diabetes, and preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.

Like many other industries, the world of coffee, and especially specialty and competitive coffee, is very white (and very male). But there are plenty of notable Black-owned roasters and coffee brands that are working to shift the dialogue surrounding this popular beverage and to remind consumers of its history and origins.

The coffee plant, along with tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton, was a crop that was cultivated by slave labor in the Americas, connecting Black lives to the history of the plant's massive influence in modern culture. The plant itself is tied to Africa—it was discovered and taken from Northeastern Africa (many sources specifically say Ethiopia) in the 17th century.

According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), Coffee arabica—the most commonly consumed form of coffee—"originated in the forests of Ethiopia and South Sudan, then famously spread throughout the world for the production of its seeds."

Legends say the same: According to esteemed writer Alexandre Dumas, the coffee plant originated in Yemen, just across the Red Sea from Ethiopia. Another popular legend says it was discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi in the hills of Ethiopia. The one thing that's certain is that the coffee plant, in its consumed varietals, originated in Africa.

"That led me down the rabbit hole into the weird world of third-wave coffee," said Maurice Henderson of Cxffee Black in an interview. "The more I went, though, the more I realized I was often one of few people of color in these spaces, and that puzzled me."

Cxffee Black, based in Memphis, isn't necessarily based on slinging amazing beans: It's a broader venture by brand mastermind Henderson, aka Bartholomew Jones. Their apparel, with phrases: "Love Black people like you love black cxffee," and "Make cxffee black again," is another major part of the business.

When it comes to coffee, they have one available: the signature Guji Mane, a coffee from the Sidamo Guji region of Ethiopia they produced in collaboration with Ethnos Coffee Roasters in Memphis.

Based in the Bay Area, Red Bay Coffee's tagline is "beautiful coffee to the people," and that's just what they provide. They've also started selling gear reminding people of coffee's deep relationship to Africa proclaiming, "Coffee: Africa's gift to the world, you're welcome."

While they sell from a few locations around Oakland (including a coffee cart), their online shop is full of coffee from all over the world, including a few single-origin options.

Perhaps the easiest to acquire, Blk & Bold stock their beans in Target and Whole Foods Markets and on other online retailers in addition to supporting direct sales from their website. As the name says, their coffee favors bold flavors, and the brand donates 5% of sales to supporting at-risk youth.

In addition to an array of small-batch roasts of specialty coffees that include blends and single origins, they also sell specialty teas. You can also take the stress of running out of coffee out of your life by signing up for a coffee subscription through their website.

Kahawa 1893 stocks exclusively Kenyan coffee, which is known for its rich flavor that comes from its growth at high altitude in nutrient-dense volcanic soil.

"As a third-generation farmer, it's my pleasure to share with you this delicious kahawa that's been cultivated in Kenya since 1893," says founder Margaret Nyamumbo on their site. They source their beans directly from the farms and aim to empower the female coffee farmers specifically.

Along with selling beans for home brewing on their website, the brand sells single-serve coffee bags, a uniquely innovative mode for brewing a single cup without the waste of mainstream single-cup brewers.

Another female-led brand, Sip & Sonder has a coffeehouse in Inglewood, California. Launched by Amanda-Jane Thomas and Shanita Nicholas, who met while working at the same law firm, their coffee brand and space is about more than just the beverage: it's also about creating community and honoring culture.

According to the website, "Sip & Sonder is an entrepreneurial and creative hub that houses a coffee house and creative studio." Online they offer two types of coffee beans and an array of loose-leaf teas for shipping.

This Seattle-based brand grew out of a unique motivation: They make green coffee accessible to the East African community in that area. Founder Efrem Fesaha grew up experiencing East African coffee ceremonies, which involves pan roasting green coffee beans before brewing them in a clay vessel called a Jebena. He wanted to make getting that green coffee simpler, and from there, Boon Boona was born.

Today, they share that green coffee (as well as videos about the ceremony) and sell roasted varieties from across eastern Africa like Burundi, Rwanda, and Ethiopian coffees. They also have subscriptions available.

Co-founded by Lem Butler, one of the most awarded baristas in the American competitive circuit, this brand emphasizes making good coffee simple—no matter how you take your morning cup. Black & White's purchase options online provide detailed tasting notes and a variety of preparations, including specialty instant coffee.

Once again, subscriptions are available, which ship twice a month from North Carolina. They roast and ship the coffee in quick succession so it's at peak freshness, making this a prime option if fresh coffee is your goal (though coffee is best when it has some time to sit post-roast).

With the aim of "pouring a new narrative," this Black-owned roaster is based in the West End of Atlanta and offers a coffee club along with individual bags for purchase. According to the Portrait Coffee website, the brand "name comes from a desire to change the picture that comes to mind when folks think of specialty coffee [...] What was once merely a drink of necessity turned into an ode to our ancestors."

While they frequently sell out of their roasts online, when they are available they're definitely worth an order. Origins include Colombia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Brazil, and their Founders Blend—which includes beans from Brazil and Papua New Guinea.

Three Keys is a craft coffee roaster based in Houston that emphasizes enjoying coffee as a multisensory experience through thoughtful playlists, curated by jazz musician Jarritt Sheel. "Dwell in the moment and let your mind expand," their website urges.

They offer a mix of blends and single-origin options for single order or subsription, with a big expansion of origins coming soon that will include an Africano Fusion Heritage Blend and a new "Jam Session" espresso blend.

Reveille is a veteran-owned company that imports coffee from all over the world and facilitates a better buying process for producers and roasters. It began when the founders took a trip to Colombia and saw how little coffee farmers there were making.

"The price of coffee from the farm is only a little over a dollar a pound. To our knowledge, a pound of the beans can get about 22 cups of coffee," they write on the site. "It does not add up to how coffee in the U.S. could be so expensive and yet the farmers make so little."

Thus came Reveille, where they partner directly with farmers to ensure fair payments. They offer whole-bean and ground-coffee options for single-bag purchase or subscription.

Calling all cold-brew stans: This Philadelphia-based brand sells both beans and cases of their brews on their website. Brightland was born from a desire to provide quality carefully brewed and roasted coffee. For founder Gary Lambert, a coffee business was a dream he pursued after four years of cancer treatments.

"Despite so many setbacks, life was charging forward all around me," he writes on the website. "There were adventures to be had, a legacy to leave, and so much joy to be shared. With this mindset, my dream of launching a coffee company grew clearer, the future brighter, and my morning cold brew ridiculously better."

Located in Baltimore, this artisan roaster aims to "bring out the best qualities in unique coffees from around the world," according to their website. If you're hoping to learn more about brew methods, their website has easy-to-follow tutorials for French press and cold brews, with AeroPress and Chemex brew guides forthcoming.

Through the Black Acres Roastery Coffee Club, members get freshly roasted coffee shipped once a month at a 15% discount, with different options for what types of coffee. They also offer jugs of cold brew and "latte to go" for delivery to local addresses.

This coffee brand is closely tied to its East Fort Worth location—claiming it's "exclusive Eastside culture + unbeatable coffee" as a defining tagline. Owner Mia Moss dreamed of opening a coffee shop for years, after falling in love with coffee while working for a large coffee chain straight out of high school. "I didn't realize how coffee could bridge gaps and create relationships until I was older," she shares on the website, "It was very intriguing, and I knew I wanted to work in coffee."

You can buy both whole beans and ground coffee from their online store, plus T-shirts touting your preferred order ("No sugar, no cream" to "Lotta sugar, lotta cream").

Another Baltimore-based brand, Vagrant Coffee does more than just sell beans—though they have plenty of varieties available to order on their website.

Beans from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Guatemala, Peru, and Colombia, plus some blends are available for order on their website, plus plenty of branded merch.

Since 2016 this brand has roasted and brewed coffee in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. According to their website, they're "committed to promoting the cultural exchange, open dialogue, and collective creativity that coffee communion has historically and internationally nurtured."

Founder Candy Schibli, who is also the head roaster, carefully selects and roasts coffees from the Americas, Africa, and Asia—all of which are available for purchase through the website. They even do bespoke blends and teach virtual blending classes, so anyone can learn the nuanced practice of blending beans.

Their homepage declares BeanFruit's aim to reach coffee perfection: "Since 2010, we've meticulously selected and roasted high-quality coffees from across the globe. We believe that a great cup of coffee is not an accident, it's a process."

Based in Mississippi, they focus on single-origin coffee, which is roasted to bring out that particular batch's flavor profile. Currently, they offer Ethiopian, Sumatran, and Colombian beans along with their branded blends. They also stock and sell all the gear you'd need to brew a perfect cup.

Small-batch, sustainably roasted coffee is the name of the game at Patria Coffee, according to Yoshawn Smith, lead barista at their cafe in Compton, California. For those in the area, they sell packaged flash-brew and cafe de olla, which is brewed over ice with piloncillo, cinnamon, cardamom, and anise.

For those who are a bit further afield, you can still buy their sustainably roasted beans, for subscription or individual bag orders of coffees from the Americas and Africa.

Black-veteran-owned Sailor's Brew Coffee is a family business based in Pasadena, California, that focuses on organic coffees from Jamaica and Ethiopia. The brand operates and began with a love of pure coffee, without extra flavors: It's all about letting the bean shine.

Currently, they have coffees from the Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions of Ethiopia—the latter of which is often considered as a potential origin zone for the coffee plant—and beans from the Jamaican Blue Mountains.